AN arachnophobia victim is calling for a ban on rubber spiders being displayed in shops for Halloween – claiming even toy versions could give him heart failure.
John Stafford, 54, of Scarborough, says doctors have warned him that even joke store spiders could trigger a fatal collapse – and he has already had one brush with death this month.
After seeing some spiders in a shop window in the town he collaps
ed and had to be supported by his wife, who thought that he had died in her arms.
Mr Stafford, who is so scared of spying a spider that he spends October 31 indoors, said: "When I tell shop owners about it they think it's funny, but it's not a laughing matter. I stop breathing and pass out, it's just terrifying.
"My doctor said that my heart is so badly bruised now that a bad attack could be fatal."
Mr Stafford wants shopkeepers to be banned from putting spider displays in their windows.
He said: "It's just thoughtless – they don't realise the effect they can have on people."
His wife Maria, 44, added: "The other day we saw a window in Eastborough that had some spiders and I thought I'd nearly lost him. He just slumped and fell against me – I had to hit him with my keys to bring him round."
Several shops in Scarborough have put toy spiders in their windows, including Thomas the Baker in Westborough.
Manager Sue Barr said: "It's just a bit of fun. I'm a bit shocked to hear about this chap's reaction. We obviously never intended to cause anybody any harm."
